AI Notepad by College Dropouts Reaches 5 Million Users

Turbo AI has quickly become a major player in the AI-powered note-taking market since its inception in early 2024.

Developed by 20-year-olds Rudy Arora and Sarthak Dhawan, Turbo AI has amassed 5 million users, generating over US$10 million in annual revenue. The startup, launched last year, has seen significant growth, particularly in the last six months, increasing its user base from 1 million to 5 million. The company, based in Los Angeles, now employs a team of 15.

Prominent corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, and McKinsey & Company are among the users of Turbo AI. The tool attracts over 20,000 new users daily on average.

Turbo AI offers features like lecture recording and automatic generation of flashcards and quizzes to aid learning. It also includes a chatbot assistant to explain key concepts, making it popular among students, including those at prestigious institutions like MIT and Harvard.

Despite its popularity, Turbo AI is relatively expensive compared to other AI-integrated note-taking tools, charging US$20 per month. The creators are considering reducing the price to remain competitive.

This venture marks the first time Arora and Dhawan have deemed a project worthy of leaving college. The success of Turbo AI justifies their decision, with Dhawan also being a co-founder of the advice app UMax.

Recently, Turbo AI partnered with the Mark Cuban Foundation for an AI Bootcamp initiative aimed at increasing AI literacy among youth, especially in underserved communities.

In 2021, Arora and Dhawan won the Congressional App Challenge in Washington D.C. with their app WorkBee.